Color measurement systems help to improve operational efficiency and product quality in supply chains. For example, color approval offices for the global apparel supply chain, apparel mills and dye houses, paint stores, textile printing shops, carpet manufacturers, manufacturers of wood panels, tiles, vinyl sheets, and laminates, and other industries relying on the digital color workflow require accurate color evaluation and visualization.
Measurement of non-solid colors (e.g., multiple colors or color patterns) in a sample is typically more complicated than the measurement of solid colors. Conventional approaches to measuring non-solid colors often cannot produce repeatable results. For example, some approaches rely on a lighting geometry that varies with the position relative to the sample. Furthermore, such approaches fail to adequately capture the spectral diversity needed to estimate the spectral reflectance of the sample's surfaces.